The 2014 National Ethanol Conference scholarship winners are three totally different young men who all share the common interest of ethanol.

Gavin Kenney is a farm boy from Nebraska who is about to graduate from the University of Nebraska with a major in agricultural economics and minors in agronomy and entrepreneurship. He grew up around the ethanol industry and is the brother of a previous scholarship recipient. Tyler will be going to work for Producers Hybrids when he graduates in May. “A conference like this gives me a good opportunity to network and talk to people,” he said. Gavin is pictured here with Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen. Interview with student Gavin Kenney

Aaron Walsh, pictured here with EPA official Chris Grundler, gained industry attention when he drove all the way from Michigan on his own dime to testify at the EPA hearing in December on the RFS proposal. A self-described “activist” who is devoted to using E85 in his flex fuel vehicle, even when it is inconvenient, Aaron got a job at a local ethanol plant as a result of that testimony. “Both my fuel and my car are made less than a hour from where I live,” he says proudly. Interview with student Aaron Walsh

Tyler Machado was born in Mexico, grew up in North Carolina and is currently attending San Francisco State University studying Environmental Studies and Spanish. His interest in renewable fuels began when he converted a 1981 Mercedes 300D to run on vegetable oil and he plans to travel to South America this summer to learn about renewable fuel projects and sustainable energy methods. Interview with student Tyler Machado

This is the fifth consecutive year Renewable Fuels Foundation has funded the scholarship to attend the NEC has been available to students in higher education with a focus on renewable fuels and intending to pursue a career in the industry.

2014 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album